


before the world catches up, before the world catches us

by seungyounbelievable (sysupportgroup), sysupportgroup



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), UNIQ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mentioned SEVENTEEN Ensemble, Mentioned Uniq Ensemble, Secret Relationship, au where the hallyu ban never happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-16 14:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19319932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/pseuds/seungyounbelievable, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sysupportgroup/pseuds/sysupportgroup
Summary: "So is he a threat to you yet? Rising star, Xu Minghao?"Wang Yibo cracks a smile in his usual stiff way, the kind that makes thousands of mama fans want to wrap him up in warm blankets and spoon feed him porridge."No," he says, blunt as always, "not really."Predictably enough, Weibo explodes.





	before the world catches up, before the world catches us

**Author's Note:**

> song choice (and title inspo) for this fic was collar full by p!atd \^_^/

It starts like this.

"Xu Minghao, are the two of you familiar?" Wang Han asks, in transition to the next section of the show.

"Ah, I know him, yes."

"Recently fans have been drawing comparisons between the two of you: promoting in groups overseas, dance mentors of rival shows and of course, extremely handsome, am I right?"

Cheers rise up from the audience, banners held up high, purple LED boards twinkling.

"Oh thank you, thank you." Da Zhangwei, one of the other MC's, tosses his head in an imaginary hairflip, pretending to accept all the praise instead. There's the usual response, witty verbal rebuke and laughter from the live audience intertwined.

"No, no, I'm just joking." Da Zhangwei waves the laughter away and turns on their youngest MC, jester's face on. "So is he a threat to you yet? Rising star, Xu Minghao?"

Wang Yibo cracks a smile in his usual stiff way, the kind that makes thousands of _mama_ fans want to wrap him up in warm blankets and spoon feed him porridge.

"No," he says, blunt as always, "not really."

Predictably enough, Weibo explodes.  


//

 

"Oh, I am so texting Wenhan about this." Junhui declares immediately, pausing the video decisively and navigating to his WeChat conversation with Wenhan. From what Minghao can see, half of the chat is filled with selfies, the other half pet updates that Junhui demands and Wenhan is all too ready to supply.

"I'm sure he knows," Minghao rolls his eyes, "they're in the same group. Plus it's still trending on Weibo and it's been what, three days already? I'd be more shocked if he _doesn't_ know."

"I think he only tracks the NBA supertopic," Junhui looks up from his phone and blinks wide eyes at him, "so honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't, he got cast in another variety again. Plus, Yibo isn't back in Korea yet, right?"

"How would I know?" Minghao mumbles, crossing his arms across his chest defensively. He's watched the clip too many times already and he really doesn't want to talk about it with Junhui of all people. Redness creeps along the shell of his ears, turning the tips tomato.

Junhui tears his eyes away from his phone, tilting his head to deliver a searching gaze.

"Just thought you might." He says simply and then goes back to his screen, chuckling softly in the gap that follows, Minghao brooding in his own thoughts next to him.

"Is it that big of a deal?" Junhui remarks, disrupting the silence under the veneer of casualness, "Your fans are just doing what fans do - defending your honour."

" _Our_ fans," Minghao corrects, levelling Junhui with a reprimanding look before slumping a little, tucking his chin over Junhui's shoulder, "I don't - I don't think it's a big deal… I just," he chews on his bottom lip, corners of his mouth turning downwards in thought, "I'm sure they have better things to do in their spare time than feuding with others online. Really, I'm not even offended by what he said. It's true so..."

Junhui opens his mouth to say something but Minghao cuts him off with a flat stare.

"It's just fact, _ge_ . I might've been cast as _Qing Chun You Ni_ 's dance trainer but it could have just as easily gone to you. I'm not _that_ big yet."

"Well he's Yuehua," Junhui says like it's both explanation and comfort enough, "we can't really compare - they're on home territory. Give it some time, we'll get there."

It's meant to be their home too, Minghao thinks, only a touch bitter. The rest of it is yearning.

"I suppose so," Minghao says instead of voicing his thoughts, knowing that Junhui's likely feeling the same. Things like this don't need to be said between them. He trains his eyes on the top corner of Junhui's bunk bed and sighs. There's an itch building up under his skin, a sudden restlessness that makes him want to return to his room and open 8bar with the only customer being himself. The fact that the sun is still up in the sky is not quite the deterrent it should be.

It's not like he's resentful of the facts. Yuehua is Yuehua and Pledis is just another Korean company trying to smuggle their way under the radars into the Chinese market. It's just the way Junhui talks about their situation, how tolerant he is of it, that drives Minghao slightly nuts.

Cognitively, he knows that Junhui cares just as much as he does about being accepted back in the mainland, to carve their mark there as deep as they've made here in South Korea. Junhui just has the patience Minghao doesn't, he supposes, or an unbendable faith in fate.

"I think I'm going to go back to my room now," Minghao says into Junhui's shoulder, pushing himself to get up and roll off Junhui's mattress. His back twinges a little but he just makes a mental note to dig out the Tiger Balm he was gifted to apply later, "let me know if you still want to go out for dinner?"

"Okay," Junhui says absently, flapping a hand in Minghao's direction in goodbye before a notification sounds from his phone and his flapping suddenly gets frantic, a signal for him to stay instead of shooing him off "oh wait!"

He thrusts his phone out towards Minghao and waggles it excitedly, exactly in time with his eyebrows, "Wenhan's asking whether we wanna grab dinner tonight with him and Xuan _ge_. Let's go get hot pot?"

Minghao purses his lips, debating his choices. For one, there's an opportunity there to catch up with their friends, especially with Yixuan who is basically the only kindred soul who will talk about anything - books to fashion to life - _seriously_ with him. There's also a chance there to cool down the fanwars with a Weibo update, something he doesn't say out loud but he's sure everyone is thinking.

But, he realises, if it's Uniq's members then...

"He's not back in Korea yet," Junhui interrupts his thoughts quietly, sending Minghao a knowing smile, "it's just the four of us, I promise."

"Fine," Minghao sighs and resolves to put day drinking plans aside in favour of choosing an outfit instead, "I trust you."

 

//

 

"I cannot _believe_ I trusted you!" Minghao hisses, fighting the urge to strangle Junhui. He only holds back because they're in sight of the other group of boys, loitering around the entrance of the restaurant with facemasks pulled up high, and he doesn't want to lose Yixuan's respect yet, "You said the four of us!"

"I really thought it was gonna be the four of us!" Junhui whines, walking a little faster like if he can escape into the huddle of bodies up ahead he can also escape Minghao's wrath. Fat chance, Junhui is in for it when they get back. See if he gets to touch his _laoganma_ stash for a month after this, "How was I meant to know that Yibo's flight came in two hours ago? Shouldn't _you_ \- "

"Shut up," Minghao actually hits him this time, grimacing, "you're gonna make me sound like I'm stalking him or something."

"Well you know what they say," Junhui adjusts his cap, giving Minghao a little secretive wink as the boys waiting for them catch onto their oncoming presence, "keep your friends close and your enemies closer, right?"

Minghao rolls his eyes, putting on a weak smile as he and Junhui draw up to the restaurant. He waves back when the shortest of their reception party starts waving so big that he looks like he's doing windmill stretches.

"Big beautiful Wen Junhui!"

"Big beautiful Wang Wang!"

The shorter figure flies towards them, practically launching himself onto Junhui who just embraces him back with equal fervour before they fall into what looks like a weirdly practiced routine of quick shoulder bumps and _yeah bro_ ’s.

Minghao walks around them.

"Xuan _ge_ ," he greets, waving casually to Yixuan who's watching the spectacle unfolding on the pavement with resigned amusement. They share a quick bro-hug and high five. If there was anyone in Uniq that Minghao's the most similar to, it'd probably be their oldest member. A shared grandmotherly spirit, Junhui and Wenhan like to joke but maybe it's not all that far from the truth, "how have you been?"

"Good, good," Yixuan gives him an easy smile, adjusting his cap, "same old, you know. Busy as always. I really liked the last sample you sent me by the way - we should get together and work on something soon."

"Of course," Minghao beams and maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all, "I'll message you and we'll work around your schedule - you're still filming that drama right?"

"Yeah," Yixuan laughs, running a hand through his hair and now that Minghao's closer up he can see the dark circles etched under his eyes, "flight schedules are a pain to work around right now but," he shrugs, "at least filming won't be at the same time as the next comeback. Sungjoo's done that before, passed out every chance he got, and _these kids_ ," Yixuan drapes an arm around the neck of the guy standing next to him who just whines his protests like a petulant brat, "kept trying to throw paper in his mouth."

"Don't blame it all on us, you joined in too!" Yibo ducks out from under Yixuan's arm, usual blank features arranged in a pout.

Wang Yibo cuts an imposing figure despite (or maybe because of) the similarly dark, if not darker, under eye circles compared to his _ge_. He's a couple centimetres taller than Minghao maybe but way more put together than anyone their age ought to look in just a black t-shirt and jeans. It’s expected, certainly for the industry they’re in and maybe it’s just the sheer width of experience between them, but suddenly Minghao feels stripped to the bone, underdressed and unprepared like he’s wobbling into Incheon for the first time on baby deer legs again.

But Minghao is older, more experienced than he was back then. A lot has changed: his hobbies, music preferences, fashion sense. He knows better now than to get tied up in knots over boys with perfect bone structure and strong fine features, much less to let those feelings show.

Especially, Minghao reminds himself sternly, when your respective fans are currently embroiled in oil fire internet wars.

"If it wasn't documented it didn't happen," Yixuan grins, teasing, "not that I can say the same for you, am I right, Luoyang's peony?"

"Oh my god - "

"Ooh! Are we teasing Yibo over here?" Wenhan bounces over with a wicked glint in his eye, Junhui following close behind to round out their little circle of five, "Our pretty pretty peony, little princess, should we show our friends some of your debut photos - "

"I'm going to kill you," Yibo snarls, flustered into an embarrassed pink. It's a little bit adorable and, well, Minghao should absolutely not be thinking that right now, "I'm gonna - " Yibo casts a glance over at Minghao, their eyes meeting for a second before Yibo trains his on the ground, "I don't know why I even thought this was a good idea, let's just eat."

Minghao blinks as Yibo speedwalks away into the restaurant, Yixuan following after with an apologetic wince and then Wenhan and Junhui shuffling in too. Wenhan on his part does not look abashed in the slightest.

Minghao sighs, the only one left outside. PR's going to have to find some other way to fix this.

 

//

 

_C-Netz Get Heated as Intense Feud Develops between these Two Male Celebrities_

On Saturday, well known Uniq member Wang Yibo was filmed having an altercation outside of a restaurant in Seoul with popular overseas boygroup member, Xu Minghao. From the video filmed by a passer-by, the two seem to be arguing in the street as their other members are seen just inside the door, likely paying. Although audio is not available, it seems clear from the tense stance of the two men that relations are far from friendly. A transcript of their conversation has gone viral amongst c-netizens, first shared by someone who claimed to be able to read their lips.

> Xu Minghao: Are you underestimating me?
> 
> Wang Yibo: Why would you think that?
> 
> Xu Minghao: Why else would you do such a stupid thing? Sometimes I wonder why -
> 
> [Car passes by]
> 
> Xu Minghao: - spoiled brat.
> 
> Wang Yibo: [takes a step towards him]
> 
> Xu Minghao: Really? Here?
> 
> [At this point, the other members flood out of the restaurant and surround the two. The recording ends.]

This is the latest development in a bitter rivalry between the two that followed after Wang Yibo's cold comment about Xu Minghao on last week's episode of Tian Tian Xiang Shang, brushing Xu Minghao off as a non-threat despite the latter having blossomed in popularity of late. Coming off Qing Chun You Ni as one of the dance teachers, Xu Minghao has charmed the nation with his warm and gentle personality, and most recently, with his talent as shown in his solo release 'Dreams Come True' which has now taken the number one spot in QQ Music Charts, five days in a row.  


COMMENTS  


[***]

wang yibo is too arrogant after getting popular tsk what does he even do on his show except look pretty

_498 replies_

 

[***]

xu minghao is a nobody compared to master wang you don't even deserve to say his name

_379 replies_

 

 

[***]

lol what “gentle personality” uses such crass words to his _qianbei_ what a fake personality

_389 replies_

 

[***]

wen junhui's dubbing services requested!! please feature your protegé li wenhan!!! uniq and seventeen jiayou!!!!!

_236 replies_

 

[***]

so that’s why yibo and minghao were sitting on opposite sides of the table huh….

_279 replies_

 

[***]

waaa… it must be so awkward for their members when they hang out since some of them (vernon+seungyoun, junhui+wenhan) are friends…

_268 replies_

 

[***]

who even are these nobodies lol

_18 replies_

  


//

 

"There's someone out front for you, Minghao hyung."

Hansol comes knocking on Minghao's door, doesn't bother to wait for Minghao's answer before letting himself in and draping himself over his bed.

"Seungyoun hyung says you should wrap up well, it's cold out there."

"Got it," Minghao loops the scarf he was contemplating over around his neck, winding it tightly until his neck can't be seen at all. With the fluffy padded jacket he has on, he'd be surprised if any skin were showing at all, "is he here right now?"

"Seungyoun hyung? Yeah, we're rounding up some of the M.O.L.A crew to go bowling and I said we could all meet here. He's talking to Jihoon hyung outside right now, producer stuff."

"Are you going to join them?"

Hansol shrugs, lazy with an easy smile spread over his face, "Maybe later. I don't really wanna move right now - your bed is comfy hyung."

"Not even to get ready?" Minghao laughs and it comes out muffled from behind his facemask, "Don't tell me you're wearing that out."

"What?" Hansol pulls at his tie-dye shirt, "There's no stain right?"

"No but," Minghao sighs internally at the clashing neon beanie and big black sunglasses perched over it on Hansol's head like a headband, "you know what, never mind. I'm glad you're… exploring your style."

"Thanks hyung," Hansol gives him a thumbs up, shifting position on Minghao's mattress until he's comfy, "don't you think you should leave now though? Your date's kinda waiting."

"It's not a date."

"Uh huh," Hansol shrugs indifferently but there’s a twinkle in his eyes, "sure, whatever. Make sure you cover up well, you don't want Dispatch to catch you on the back of his bike."

Minghao pauses in the doorway, looking back with eyes shot wide.

"He brought his bike?"

 

//

 

"That was terrifying." Minghao groans, trying his best to ignore the way Yibo is pouting up at him with those round innocent eyes framed by a bleach-damaged fringe. The black mask he’s pulled on prevents Minghao from seeing the lower half of his face but he’s memorised Yibo’s pouty expressions by now, the way the bratty jut of his lips betrays the soul of a boy much younger than what his schedules and diet plans demand from him.

It’s not a bad thing, more endearing in a way that makes you want to stroke his head and soften that sulky expression into an unreserved smile. Reversal charm, that’s what they call it. Cold and distant on stage, shy and awkward off stage - it’s no wonder he’s risen to the popularity he has and Minghao... He’s not jealous, he’s really not, no matter how much he wants some of that for himself.

You’re unselfish when you love someone after all.

“I thought you’d like it,” Yibo whines, elbowing Minghao in the side but he fidgets, looks anywhere but at his face, “you like _romantic_ things right? And I’m trying!”

“You taking me out on your racing bike to Han River isn’t romantic,” Minghao says dryly, trying to push aside the feeling of his thumping heart when he’d gone down to the lobby only to see Yibo waiting for him there, face impassive but hands nervous, toying with the chinstrap on the bottom of the extra helmet he’d brought, “if we both died the press would have a field day claiming we, I don’t know, had a dance battle to the death or something.”

That prompts a laugh out of Yibo, a bark-giggle fusion that makes Minghao feel like icecream inside, soft sticky sweetness melting on a summer’s day.

“Yeah the press is really loving this feud stuff huh,” Yibo hums, fiddling with the silver zip on his leather jacket, resting his head back against the tree trunk they’re propped up against. Minghao fights the urge to lean over and zip it up for him, “I honestly didn’t know it’d work as well as it did. Seungyoun keeps saying I told you so.”

Minghao clicks his tongue irritatedly, urge abandoned, “Stop saying that like you’re proud of it. Do you _know_ what they're saying in the comments about you?”

“You’ve gotta stop reading those,” Yibo groans exaggeratedly, making a show of rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest, “they say stuff like that all the time.”

“Yeah but it’s directed at _you_ ,” Minghao furrows his brows, _a_ _nd that makes all the difference._

He’s trying not to get pissed, he thinks he’s exhausted his fair share of it already, that night in Beijing after they’d filmed the show together. Staying in the same hotel is a luxury not too easily gained but _Tian Tian Xiang Shang_ books the same one for all their guests, it wasn’t too hard for Yibo to get his manager to book him into the same one under the guise of having to practise their shared dance stage early before the filming.

It means Minghao had barely any distance to travel, two floors and a turn of the corner, to impatiently knock on his boyfriend’s door. Yibo wouldn’t have made that comment without a reason, he knows himself that he can only push his blunt quiet image so far.

“It’s worth it if you get the recognition you deserve,” Yibo insists defensively, the verbal equivalent of digging his heels in. Minghao’s glad he wore his fluffiest coat tonight, the wind is really something bad tonight, whipping branches above them and stirring up the river bank, “you worked really hard on your song and if that’s what it takes for people to pay attention then - “

“Then you need to stop listening to Seungyoun’s ideas,” Minghao huffs, bumping Yibo gently with his shoulder and inches his hand across the grass, lightly placing it over the top of Yibo’s, “I care about mainland popularity, yes. China will always be home and it would be nice, to have the motherland welcome me when I go back.” He swallows, tries for a smile asking for understanding, “But, I want to attain it on my own terms and I want to do it _with_ you, not against.”

He squeezes Yibo’s hand. A pause. Then slowly, surely, Yibo turns his palm upwards to lace their fingers together. Squeezes back.

He doesn’t say a word about it, just sits there quietly next to Minghao like he’s absorbing all his words like a sponge. Pink creeps up Yibo’s neck though, terrified of being the one to initiate something as intimate as hand holding. Minghao likes to think he’s getting better.

In these moments, he really is just like a little boy, wanting to help as much as he can with something out of his control, and whatever part of Minghao that was still annoyed with him shatters quietly.

“I’ll get there in the end,” Minghao says after awhile, noticing Yibo’s eyelids starting to drift shut. He sighs fondly, temporarily pulling his hand away from Yibo’s to drag Yibo’s jacket’s zip up his chest. Adds, almost joking, if not for the warmth of promise in his voice, “I’ll show you how much of a threat I can be.”

“Who says you’re not already?” Yibo says, sleepy and honest, looking at Minghao through one eye cracked open and Minghao. Minghao’s heart cracks wide open, chest cleaved through cleanly. One shot, one kill.

Sweetness doesn’t come easy from people like Yibo so when it does, it hits hard.

“You can’t say things like that, Wang Yibo.” Minghao says hoarsely, stumbling over the lump in his throat, “it’s dangerous, you know.”

“More dangerous than motorbike racing?” Yibo asks and Minghao just knows he’s grinning big behind his mask, thinking he’s finally got a counterargument to all of Minghao’s (very well researched) concerns.

“More dangerous than anything,” Minghao whispers lowly as he leans in, quietly presses a kiss to Yibo’s forehead, stays in that proximity afterwards, “so you better take responsibility.”

**Author's Note:**

> no one:  
> me: vomits uniq feelings all over the place
> 
> thank you to anyone and everyone who gave this a read!! some months ago i started noticing that yibo and minghao have a lot of things in common with each other and i wanted to explore the possibilities of their relationship a little (as well as uniq's and svt's together bc there really are a lot of connections there) if china had never initiated the hallyu ban and uniq had continued promoting in korea :"))))))))
> 
> ...and then wangbo first win happened on tian tian xiang shang and i nearly cried.
> 
> if you have any questions about certain terms or jokes pls comment below and i shall do my best to answer!! once again tysm for reading and caratcorns pls hmu on twt @sysupportgroup !!


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